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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24835576">Sleepy Eyes and Shampoo Suds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatiCati/pseuds/NatiCati'>NatiCati</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bathing/Washing, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, I haven't written anything in over 10 YEARS, Living Together, M/M, Romance, Soft Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Sylvain Jose Gautier Being Sappy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but these dorks make me Feel Things y'know?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:07:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,510</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24835576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatiCati/pseuds/NatiCati</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sylvain knows how hard it is for Felix to be vulnerable and put his trust in others. It had taken months of dating for Felix to allow him to wash his hair, and even longer after that for him to admit that he actually <em>prefers</em> when Sylvain does it.</p>
<p>Naturally, Sylvain has taken every opportunity he can to join Felix in the shower since.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>Sylvain helps a tired Felix prepare for the day when he oversleeps, which <em>may or may not</em> have been Sylvain's fault in the first place.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sleepy Eyes and Shampoo Suds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm a longtime lurker in the FE fandom but this is my first time posting content!<br/>I hope you enjoy this sappy fluff &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p><em>“Sweetheart,"</em> he whispers into Felix’s ear, <em>“it’s time to wake up.”</em></p>
<p>The only answer is a groan, muffled by the way his boyfriend’s face is smushed against his chest.</p>
<p>Sylvain pauses for a moment to chuckle fondly, but quickly resumes nudging his sleepy bedmate. “No, seriously, you’ve got to get up. We need to shower before you go, remember? No more sleeping.”</p>
<p>This at least gets him a grudging nod of acceptance, followed by said boyfriend sitting up and rubbing his eyes blearily. Felix begins reaching for his phone, presumably to scroll through social media aimlessly while he wakes up, but Sylvain intercepts him before he can grab it. “No time for the phone right now babe, we <em>really</em> have to hurry. Your appointment is in an hour.”</p>
<p>He winces at the exasperated, halfhearted glare Felix aims at him, holding up his hands in surrender. “Sorry, sorry, I swear I tried to get you up sooner! I fell back asleep too at some point,” he defends, though in reality the last part is a lie.</p>
<p>Truthfully, Sylvain has been awake for several hours at this point, and had simply lost track of time while gazing at his lover’s peaceful face and running his hands through his sleep-tousled hair. But, he rationalizes, could anyone truly blame him? It was a rare occasion; normally, Felix was up and ready long before Sylvain dragged himself out of bed, even on days off from work. However, they had stayed up a bit too late the night before drinking and watching bad sitcoms, both forgetting how Felix always slept like the dead after consuming alcohol.</p>
<p>Still, that wouldn’t have been a problem... if not for the doctor’s appointment Felix was now in danger of being late to. Sylvain really HAD tried rousing Felix a couple times, only to immediately lose his resolve when the man stubbornly curled up closer and embraced him tighter in response.</p>
<p>Sylvain may be biased, but the precious time spent watching his usually-standoffish other half snuggle up to him is well worth the current rush.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>He pauses on the way to the bathroom to grab towels for them both from the hallway closet, knowing Felix likely forgot to get one in his sleep-dazed march out of their bedroom. By the time he’s undressed and slipping into the shower, Felix is already halfway through scrubbing his body, his hair wet but not yet washed. Sylvain smiles softly at his boyfriend as he slides the curtain back, crowding into the cramped space alongside him.</p>
<p>“Facewash?” he asks in greeting, holding out the bottle; after Felix hums in appreciation and grabs it, Sylvain reaches back again and picks up the shampoo, pouring some into one hand while gently tilting his lover’s head back into the stream of water with the other. “I’ll wash your hair while you wash your face, okay?” he offers, already reaching forward to begin lathering up Felix’s hair. The way Felix effortlessly steps closer and turns around for him makes the redhead’s chest fill with warmth. On the surface it seems like such a simple and routine gesture, but Sylvain knows how hard it is for Felix to be vulnerable and put his trust in others.</p>
<p>The way his head lolls back into Sylvain’s hands as he scrubs his face is a clear indicator of more than just lethargy. The way his entire body proceeds to melt against him, soapy back pressed to Sylvain’s chest as he bonelessly enjoys the thorough scalp massage, speaks volumes of his comfort and trust. It had taken months of dating for Felix to allow Sylvain to wash his hair, and even longer after that for him to admit that he actually <em>prefers</em> when Sylvain does it.</p>
<p>Naturally, Sylvain has taken every opportunity he can to join Felix in the shower since.</p>
<p>After working the shampoo through Felix’s long, dark hair, Sylvain gently turns his boyfriend back around to face him. He’s unable to suppress a grin as he notes how easy it is to arrange the shorter man into place under the shower’s spray, yielding and pliant under his touch as he is now. “Alright, I’m gonna rinse you off,” he murmurs; he’d usually warn Felix to close his eyes at this point, but they’re already closed this time, had likely fluttered shut during the shampooing and not reopened since. In fact, Sylvain might think his lover asleep if not for the quiet, drowsy mutters of affirmation Felix gives every once in a while.</p>
<p>Sylvain greedily takes the opportunity to study the face of the man before him for the thousandth time while using a hand to further shield Felix’s eyes from any wayward suds. He lets his gaze linger on the sharp curve of his boyfriend’s jaw, the high angle of his cheekbones. His closed eyes emphasize his beautiful, thick eyelashes; his nose scrunches up adorably when a small trickle of water runs down his face, and Sylvain can’t help but press a quick infatuated smooch to it as he runs his fingers through Felix’s hair once more to ensure no soap is left in it.</p>
<p>The shorter man huffs lightly in response, awake enough now to feign annoyance, but the way he leans forward as if to chase the sensation of Sylvain’s lips on his skin betrays the facade. Sylvain snorts in amusement, not fooled in the slightest; he cups his lover’s face in his large hands, thumbs stroking over Felix's cheeks as he presses another kiss to his face, on the forehead this time. He then pulls away to fetch a shaving razor, but the hasty, flustered kiss delivered to his collarbone in return doesn’t escape his notice.</p>
<p>In an act of magnanimity, Sylvain refrains from teasing the other man for now, opting to wordlessly hand him the razor instead with a smile. As Felix turns away again to run the razor over the sparse stubble on his face and chest, Sylvain attempts to stealthily pump conditioner into his hands. They may be low on time, but it would still be a sin to neglect his boyfriend's gorgeous hair... even if Felix himself always whines about how long it takes. Grabbing a section, Sylvain braces himself for the usual complaints, only to be pleasantly surprised- he's met with no resistance today.</p>
<p>Riding this wave of good fortune, Sylvain hums as he runs a comb through Felix’s conditioned hair, carefully working out the little knots and tangles that accumulated in his sleep. The individual strands may be thick, but overall Felix's hair isn't as dense as Sylvain’s, making detangling a blessedly quick task. When he’s done Sylvain pauses to admire the soft inky locks cascading down his lover’s back, then wraps his arms around him from behind, resting his chin on Felix's shoulder. Felix sighs and leans back against him in response, setting the razor aside and laying his hands over Sylvain’s where they rest on his waist.</p>
<p>Much as he wants to continue dawdling, breathing in the heavy air and the familiar, comforting aroma of his boyfriend’s pine-scented soap, Sylvain knows Felix needs to get on the road soon if he’s to be on time for his appointment. When he turns his lover back towards him a final time, Felix seems to notice something now that he’s more alert, prompting a snicker from the shorter man. In response to Sylvain’s raised eyebrow of confusion, Felix smirks and reaches up, running his wet hands through the messy ginger curls atop the taller man’s head. Belatedly, the redhead realizes his hair is barely even damp and has gone frizzy from the humidity, because he’d forgotten to so much as duck under the water himself. <em>At least I can blame my red face on the hot water</em>, he thinks, rolling his eyes good-naturedly at his boyfriend’s laughter to cover up his embarrassment.</p>
<p>“Fine, laugh it up. It’s because I was too busy focusing on <em>you</em>, y’know?” he teases, bumping his hip against Felix’s as he begins rinsing the conditioner out of his hair. He ignores the water flicked his way by his now embarrassed, sputtering lover, once again thankful for how easy it is to turn the tables on him. “Now go on, hurry! You still have to dry off and get dressed before you leave, my love,” he chuckles, ringing out Felix’s hair before nudging him towards the shower curtain. When Felix hesitates, shivering at the draft coming in through the gap, Sylvain pulls him close one more time, smacking a kiss on his cheek.</p>
<p>“I’ll see you later, love you,” he coos, before releasing him and beginning his own, more in-depth hair and skin routine. He doesn’t need nor expect a response: all of Felix’s subconscious, trusting, at ease gestures add up to show Sylvain how deeply his love is returned.</p>
<p>Still, when Felix raises his voice as he leaves the bathroom, enough to be clearly heard over the pitter-patter of water, the redhead’s stomach fills with butterflies when he realizes his boyfriend’s first words of the day are:</p>
<p>
  <em>“Love you, too.”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>fun fact: this fic came to me while I was helping my girlfriend shower lmao<br/>Kudos and/or comments are greatly appreciated, they feed my soul  :")</p>
<p>You can also find me on twitter as @fandomfeline!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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